Gaslight: Great set and good acting but production drags on
Since its London premiere in December 1938, Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight has been staged all over the world. The narrative, which successfully wraps the fragile human psyche into a crime setting, attracts audiences and artists alike to this day.
The story is set in Victorian era London and explores an intentionally abusive relationship between Jack Manningham and his wife Bella. Jack’s goal is to gradually drive his wife insane by constantly making her doubt her memory and perception. He plays his cards well, in a startling portrayal of the form of abuse that has become synonymous with the play’s name. He is sadistically cruel to Bella, aggressively bullying her, suggesting she inherited her mother’s madness, falsely blaming her for misplacing small objects, and grows increasingly unpredictable in his mood towards her. And if this were not enough, whenever he does leave, Bella is surrounded by dimming gas lights and the sound of footsteps from the abandoned floor above. Couldn’t these just be yet another creation of her delusional mind? Then one evening, while Jack is out yet again, a stranger comes to the house and changes the chain of events, and her life.
“Gaslight” allures us with mystery, keep us glued to our seats with suspense, takes us to the journey into the unknown, and gives us a glimpse into the human mind. Its fascination lays in its psychological component, while the crime gives it just a thrilling veneer. It is essential for its success to keep the play in the psychological realm. To turn this around and focus primarily on the crime with the psychological elements playing a secondary part, as the play does after the first scene, is likely to kill its attraction.
The Ottawa Little Theatre production of Gaslight concentrates mostly on the criminal elements of the story. The play starts with a scene of chilling domestic abuse, giving Heather Archibald in the role of Bella the chance to showcase her undeniable talent as the abused wife sinking under her husband’s attacks. However, the suspense is quickly killed with the entrance of Rough. Geoff Gruson does a passable job as the affable detective, though he is sometimes hard to hear. He explains to Bella, in a lengthy conversation that starts dragging on after a while, that he suspects her husband committed a murder 15 years ago in the same house they currently live in. With that, the mystery is solved almost at the very beginning of the show, taking away the excitement and credibility.
The actors could barely be heard in the first half of the show, although that was fixed in the second half. Heather Archibald is a perfect Bella – frightened, anxious, a real victim of domestic abuse. Cheryl Jackson, in the role of servant Elizabeth, is respectful and eager to please, while skillfully avoiding any involvement in her master’s private affairs. J. Taylor Morris as Jack is quite good, though his transitions between moods are a little bit too sudden to be believable in some moments.
The set and lighting design, by Tom Pidgeon and David Magladry respectively, are the real stars of the play. The two play off each other, underlining the gloomy, dark atmosphere of late 19th century London and adding the needed suspense throughout the production. From the moment the lights go on to reveal a middle-class Victorian room outfitted with heavy wood furniture and shrouded in dim light, the audience is at the edge of their seats, waiting for the worst.
Gaslight plays in Ottawa Little Theatre until November 9th.
Written by Patrick Hamilton
Production: Ottawa Little Theatre
Cast:
Heather Archibald Bella Manningham
Cheryl Jackson (Westerlund) Elizabeth
J. T. (J. Taylor) Morris Jack Manningham
Kate Boone Nancy
Geoffrey (Geoff) Gruson Rough
Production Team:
Director Joan Sullivan Eady
Set Design Tom Pidgeon
Lighting Design David Magladry